FFXII DISCUSSION TOPIC

yeah, i quite enjoyed final fantasy 12 as well. What i enjoyed the most out of that game was the battle system. It was free roaming and it never seemed to bore you. The characters were another favourite of mine except for vaan who i disliked from the moment i saw him. He seemed more interested in flexing his abs then taking down the empire. Basch would have had to been my favourite and balthier was pretty cool as well.

The bosses/espers were quite impressive as well. Final fantasy really outdid themselves in making them. Some of the entrances the bosses would make were great. Definitely one of the best games i've played as well.

I didn't like FFXII either. The game was just so slow! Playing for two hours and not getting anywhere, uncovering anything meaningful, or experienceing anything worthwhile, I was just meh for the whole ting. The pacing was terrible. I agree that the liscense system did more harm than good to the mechanics of the game. It should have allowed you that magic that you'd learned. I have never been put in a more detailed world in an RPG, but the experience was kind of lackluster. I didn't like the battle system either, because essentially you're relying on the AI to do a lot of the fighting for you through most of the game, even by using gambits. The old system felt like it gave the player so much more control.

It just seems like the game was badly designed and didn't reward player investment in either time or patience with anything worthwhile.

author=Enker link=topic=951.msg12840#msg12840 date=1208869449
FFXII managed to split the fanbase down the middle, there are those that love it and those who hate it - and all of them have been playing FF for years. Even in my friends circle of long-time players we're split between hating and loving it.

Dude how long have you been playing videogames? Every Final Fantasy game does this. However since every RPG fan buys every Final Fantasy game it isn't really relevant to the series' popularity. But you may have read threads about FF7 and whether or not it is the best game ever, FF8 and whether or not it is the *worst* game ever, FF9 and whether or not it was the most successful throwback ever, FF10 and whether or not it was the most disgusting game ever, and FF11 and whether or not it was the best MMO ever. Also, whether or not the SNES games were the best games ever and it's been downhill from there (because what I grow up with the BEST damn it (although they really are probably the most polished games of the series (also WIP thinks that the SNES games are the best and I need to pander to him or he will ban me))).

I think that this is game is ridiculously brilliant and people do not like it because they were disappointed that it was not what they expected out of a new Final Fantasy (maybe they should play Lost Odyssey which was pretty good too). If this had been billed as a new IP or something I don't think anyone in the world would have ever said anything bad about it. They would have praised its story, which was pretty good come on guys it wasn't like a clitched Tales Of story or anything, its sense of style, its immense scope, and the way that it integrated random battles into the exploration system so that the game was stilted and weird.

I liked the story a lot more than other Final Fantasy game stories because it took it easy on the ridiculousness! Most Final Fantasy games are outrageous guys. FFXII was substantially less outrageous. It had more mature themes (even though they were pretty hackneyed and I had played Final Fantasy Tactics already which is the same story), less talkative characters, and seemed like something to serve the gameplay rather than the other way around.

Also I want to root for the game because it had the most troubled development cycle ever. It went through four directors, one of whom was in the hospital for years, and another of whom (Kawauzu who directed the SaGa games) brought in a bunch of his own people who thought that the story was ridiculous and the game sucked and demanded that they basically start out. I've read interviews about epic, clenched-fist arguments in the development offices. The reason this game took so long to develop (god I don't know ten years??) was because there were opposing factions on the team who were not interested in making the same game. I think that's also why there are a lot of weird oversights -- it seems like many cutscenes are mysteriously missing and many of the game mechanics are half-baked (lol License Grid).

The re-release in Japan added a job system and apparently the game's mechanics become amazing and just like Final Fantasy Tactics and I cut myself when I discovered it had no English text.

But seriously if anyone says anything bad about Final Fantasy XII I will have to write a dissertation.

Also I lost my save file in a horrible PS3 update accident and I cut myself every day. I started over the other day and then looked up a FAQ for missable items (like WHICH RANDOM THREE TREASURE CHESTS IN THE GAME NOT TO OPEN Jesus Christ) but I was intimidated by the scale and gave up.

*insert obligatory Zodiac Spear remark here*

Oh well, I doubt that I would use it even if I did get it.


I got somewhere, Tomb of somebody, beat the Demon Wall and put the game down and I really haven't gotten back to it. The combat system isn't bad or anything though, I'm just not really feeling any drive to play the game.


Also that job system sounds neat, but I'm a sucker for job systems :(

author=yamata no orochi link=topic=951.msg12946#msg12946 date=1208912858
I really liked it, although not quite as much as Dragon Quest VIII. Maybe that's a bad thing.

No way man that's fine. Dragon Quest 8 is regarded by all reasonable people as the best video game ever made.

Dude how long have you been playing videogames?

My first console was a NES (followed quickly by a Master System) and I've been playing rpgs since 1990 aged 7, cutting my teeth on Phantasy Star, Final Fantasy 1 and Dragon Quest 2. I was also fortunate enough to live next door to a teenager from Japan, who imported some of the unreleased FF games and other classic rpgs that didn't see the light of day over here in the west and was kind enough to play them through with me to read out the text. So I'd say I have a pretty healthy pedigree, and a firm foundation when I say that no game in the FF series has ever caused so much positive/negative devide. FF7 vs FF6 is a longstanding debate that still manages to wage war even now, but it's hardly a slagging match. Even the people who bicker over FFXI having a number as a part of the core series arn't really that bothered in the long run from what I've read. But then I've seen people almost come to blows over their conflicting views on FFXII at a games convention - now that is something to worry about ;)

Anyway.

It's interesting that in the same year SquareEnix released two games at such wildly different ends of the spectrum, on the one hand you have DQ8 which set out to be a loyal traditional console rpg in every way, putting together elements that have been in use for decades, and on the other they released FFXII which made a very brave effort to not conform to any of the staples of the genre. It almost feels like the publishers felt they should do something in order to maintain a balance and placate fans in case of backlash.

him: I still got bored.

Ocean: It's not really much of a political story. Hell, I've seen more political stories in RPG Maker games. It seems like it tries to, but then I noticed I'd been running after magic crystals for forty hours and that my characters had zilch in the way of interesting character development.

Anyway, FFT does the 'political w/magic crystals plot' much better, so if I wanted that, I'd just play FFT.

ah - the lemming approach ;)

author=NEO Prime link=topic=951.msg13004#msg13004 date=1208965357
I can understand the whole concept of people being letdown by the music. my favorite song on FF XII was gilgamesh's theme, but even that paled in comparison to the remake the Black mages did with that song.

It's telling that your favorite theme from the soundtrack is a theme not written by the composer for FFXII.

Doesn't that mean that what you enjoyed about the game was not playing the game?